I used to be hard core. I played games all the time and read all I could. Then I became a collector I amassed 24 systems and over 500 games. My collection was a sight to be seen. Rare promos, standees, figures, rare titles, collectors editions, all with case/box and instructions. Poy Poy, Snatcher, Gunners Heaven, Jack Brothers, the finest and the fairest. But then I hear the words digital distribution. At first I think no way. It will take to long to download and for computers they are always crashing and you need hardcopies. Now I think 5 years left. 5-7 years until people are plugged into high speed internet. People will download games to their system of choice and play. No case, no instructions, no promos you can hold onto. No materialism in the material. No collection to show off. (See ‘Tips and Tricks’ magazine column Room of Doom for examples) Nothing left to hold on to. And when the system is done it’s over. Just a memory and no dragging out the old system to go down memory lane. All that has been amassed will be a relic of old times not related to the games of the future. Because what is a record to an MP3? No more collecting. Being hard core will soon only be about how much you play and not what you play and where you got it. This will soon be the end of a gaming era.